Emma-Jane Auger has swapped a career of international travel for a new life, driving around the lanes of North Devon helping farm businesses large and small with their insurance needs.

An agronomist by training, Emma-Jane (who likes to be known as E-J) is one of the newest members of Cornish Mutual’s Field Force team, covering her ‘patch’ of the North West corner of Devon – from Barnstaple to Hartland and down to Okehampton.

Though not from a farming background – her father worked as an aeronautical engineer at nearby Westland Helicopters – E-J describes herself as “a country girl” whose experiences growing up among farming families in Chard led to her joining Yarcombe Young Farmers and becoming a keen equestrian event rider and Pony Club member.

Although not from a farming background, Emma-Jane lives with her partner at his parents’ North Devon dairy farm, where they have a herd of around 100 milking cows (Image: Richard Austin)

She now lives with her partner, Liam Turner, at his parents’ North Devon dairy farm. With views of Dartmoor and Exmoor, Lower Sletchcott Farm has a herd of around 100 milking cows. Situated just across the valley from the village of King’s Nympton, near South Molton, the 120-acre farm supplies its milk to Crediton Dairy and also rears calves for beef.

Speaking of her role with Cornish Mutual, she says: “It’s about providing a service to our existing members and being there to support them.

“Things change: some farms are expanding and diversifying while others are winding down. We’re here to ensure they are still covered for what they need – and not paying for insurance they don’t. It really helps that we’re not on commission because we have no incentive to encourage our Members to overpay. I think they appreciate that.”

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Animal lover E-J originally wanted to be a vet but eventually achieved a first class honours degree in International Equine and Agricultural business at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester.

Joining a graduate scheme with Management Development Services (MDS) led to her running a tomato packing house in Hull and managing new product development for an organic grower in Lincolnshire. She also completed a placement with organic food delivery company, Abel and Cole, where she went on to work full time as an Agronomist, looking after their supplier base in Italy, Sicily, France and Spain, as well as across the UK.

“There was so much travelling,” she says. “It sounds wonderful but it is very depressing to go back to a hotel room on your own night after night.” Being away so often meant that she missed Liam, who she met at a Young farmers Christmas ball, and her horse, Wilson. When the opportunity arose to join Cornish Mutual, she saw it as a chance to establish her career in the South West.

Emma-Jane originally wanted to be a vet

Although her expertise is in fruit and vegetable production, E-J is clearly at home on a dairy farm and passionate about Lower Sletchcott, which is run by Liam and his parents, Jeremy and Clare.

Of particular interest is the new cow shed, which the family has designed to future-proof the business and improve their winter housing. The new 900-square-metre shed will not only offer more shelter to the cows, but with a slatted floor, means slurry can fall through to the ground below. As well as reducing labour on the farm, this will help to improve cow welfare. With the groundworks and foundations now complete, the family is eagerly waiting for drier weather so they can complete the build.

Living at Lower Sletchcott helps E-J to understand the issues that other local farms face and has added to E-J’s diverse experience in the industry. With North Devon primarily producing dairy, beef and sheep, it is a very different world from that of fruit growers in Southern Europe or large-scale vegetable packers in Lincolnshire. Having started her career working with businesses facing such stringent regulations has given E-J a thorough appreciation for the challenges all food producers face.

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“For fresh produce growers, the main customers are the supermarkets. There are so many regulations, as well as the British Retail Consortium audit every year. It is especially challenging if the business is both a grower and packer – the whole operation needs to be really tightly stitched up to comply. If businesses don’t do everything by the book there are serious legal issues.”

So having previously excelled in what she describes as the “older male industry” of fruit and vegetable production, E-J is clearly someone who can hold her ground and get on with anyone. She understands that while most farmers may not look forward to paying their premiums each month, insurance has helped many to get back on track when events have taken an unexpected turn.

She explains: “When there has been a problem, members realise how important it is to be adequately insured and the value in having a company with a mutual ethos that will stand by its members without any quibbles.”

The Field Force team provides on-the-ground support to Cornish Mutual members

While she is now working in a different sector, E-J says there are many comparisons between her agronomy career and her role at Cornish Mutual. “It is all about having a good relationship with farmers,” she says. “As the Field Force team, we’re the feet on the ground and we can really get to know our members.

“Everybody has their own story and a different opinion. It is fascinating to visit farms and find out how they do things. I find it really exciting heading out to a farm for the first time – you never know what you’re going to learn.”

When asked if she ever thought she would work in insurance when she was starting out in her agricultural training, E-J laughs. “Absolutely not!” she says. “But the more I found out about the role, the more I realised it was for me.”